The Ravine of Time
by Branir
Summary: Sorry folks, don't think I'll be finishing this one
1. The Ravine

Disclaimer: All of the characters are from the Anime slayers. Read on!  
  
Zelgadis walked down the beaten dirt path, a way out of Seyruun that he hoped none of his friends knew about. The sun had set hours ago, and clouds now covered the sky, hiding the stars from the people below. Time and again the cresent moon revealed itself, sheading a bit of light for Zelgadis to see the road better. He felt a little lonley out here by himself, it had been a long time since he had travelled alone like this. " Get a hold of yourself,", he said aloud," Have you become weak? Whats wrong with you?"  
  
He was glad he hadn't told anyone about his leaving, Lina would have insisted on coming, most likely for some selfish reason or another. Why couldn't they understand? Lina and Gourry just got in the way of his goal. He recalled how close he had been to achieving his dream, back when they had searched for the Clair Bible. Unfortunaly it was not he that was allowed to experience the infinate knowledge of the Water Dragon King, it had been Lina. He had hoped that she would remember him when she asked her questions. But, she hadn't. But he didn't acuse her, after all it wasn't her that did this to him in the first place. The others had been kind to him ever since they began their journeys together, but those days were over. This time, he truely was on his own.  
  
He looked on it as a curse dispite the positive effects. All he had wanted was power, now all he wanted was freedom from this shell that bound him. He clenched his fists thightly and stopped walking, he growled and lashed out at nothingness; perhaps in hopes that the one resposible for all his pain and suffering would be there. Rezo was the man that he blamed, he had only cared for himself. Zelgadis was certain that Rezo would have turned him into a hampster if it would have brought him any closer to regaining his eyesight. He wasn't sure as to how, but Zelgadis was a blood realative of Rezo. It sometimes angered him to find that he was not the one to deal that fatal blow . . . that he was not the one to kill Rezo.  
  
He would show everyone that he could do this by himself.   
  
Desipite his strong feelings for Amelia, he couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. Besides, she would have insisted on coming with him, and this dirt road was far more dangerous than Zelgadis would allow her to brave. This path led to the place that he had thought of as his last measure, a place that possibly contained the knowledge he required for a cure. This place was called the " The Ravine of Time", a place were all things stood still, all things with the exception of those from the outside. At least, this was how Rezo had discribed it to him. He recalled Rezo talking about it back in his library. He had mentioned it on multiple occations when he had been doing his Chimera studies. Zelgadis sighed, some how no matter what the thought about, he would always end up thinking about how much he hated Rezo. He could tell that he was getting closer to the ravine now, he had stopped walking. He knew that he must continue but hesitated none the less.  
  
Amelia was a good girl, and he loved her, but that was why he thought that she shouldn't be with someone like him. Whenever she would cling to him, he would all ways blush slightly. But Zelgadis couldn't help but doubt her love for him. He stopped again and looked at the palms of his hands, they were decorated with light blue pebbles here and there, just as they had been for what seem like forever, " How could anyone love you? Look at you, your a monster!", came a harsh voice that seemed to call from his heart, " Don't worry about it, your time will come soon." ,said the voice, now more distant. Zelgadis shook his head, if the others could see him now they would think he was going crazy. He continued on down the path, ahead of him   
  
Before embarking on his journey, Zel sought information on the ravine. In the west wing of Prince Phil's castle, he met an old man named Atexon. Atexon was the only black magic sage in the entire kingdom that Phil trusted ( with the exception of Lina), his skill surpassed that of many. He, much like Zelgadis, once suffered from a Chimera deformation spell. For years he was force to wander the earth as 1/2 human 1/2 Hyoex ( term for a form of demon Leviathan) He had been the first to come out of the ravine fully restored to his former self.   
  
He informed Zelgadis that over time many horrifying creatures have made there way into the Ravine, so if he were to enter he had better be prepared for many a difficult battle. According to Atexon, the ravine has the power to move a persons life backwards, mere seconds remove battle scars as if the battle never happened. " All you have to do is keep your hand on the obelisk in the center of the ravine and remove it once you have regained your original form.", the sage had said, " Your cure is but steps away Zelgadis, but beware, there are multiple obelisks in this dark place. You mustn't be to hasty my friend, for the wrong obelisk could change you for the worst. Don't fear though, when you find the right one, you will know.", he said.  
  
Now Zelgadis stood right in front of the entrance to the ravine, the old sage's words and warnings were fresh on his mind. From where he was, the ravine looked like nothing special, but he had no doubt that the world that lie ahead of him would prove to be rather confusing. Before entering he went over the concequences once more. There was a small chance that he would come out of the ravine human, then there was a greater chance he would come out in even worse condition than before. Last was the most common result, he was not sure if he feared or welcomed it. There was an chance that this journey would prove to be his last, that he would not return from the ravine.  
  
Fully aware that there was a possibility he may die, the chimera walked into the Ravine of Time. 


	2. The Chimera The Ring The Wolf

Proceeding into the canyon, Zelgadis looked about himself, he could sense no immediate danger, nor could he sense any other living beings. Looking up at the sky he noticed the first of many strange things, the sky was no longer the color that it usually was when it was midnight. He could see the bright light of the sun peeking over the steep cliffs of the ravine. He shook his head slightly; to him it didn't really matter, day or night.  
  
As he past a boulder he heard a cracking noise, out of instinct, Zel unsheathed his sword and whirled around to confront what ever it was that was following him. On the ground in front of him were a couple of beetles scrambled quickly under a boulder. Zelgadis rolled his eyes and returned his sword to its scabbard, turn and continuing forward. Ahead of him there were several small branches sprouting out from cracks in the stone wall. One of them was branched across the path and Zelgadis, a little annoyed, brushed it out of his way as he passed. He had expected the branch to swing back and hit him, but when it didn't, Zel turned around to see that it hadn't sprung back into place. It was frozen in the same position that Zel had moved it to. This occurrence or lack of expected events caused Zelgadis to be rather confused.  
  
After blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes in disbelief, Zel crept towards the 'magical' rock branch. He reached out his hand, picked off one of the fresh green leaves, and then released it. It didn't surprise him in the least to find that the leaf did not budge from where he had let it go.  
  
"So the rumors are true. " Zel said to himself, backing up a little to observe the leaf. " Nothing here moves but those that are from the outside." He scratched the back of his head a bit and turned around; proceeding down the path.  
  
He hadn't traveled but 20 paces when he saw a faint glimmer among a pile of rubble not far from him. He kneeled down to investigate what it was. Taking his hand he fished thought the tiny pieces of rock until finally he found a small ring. Getting to his feet, Zel brought the ring closer to himself inspecting it carefully. The ring was constructed of gold and was graced with runes of an unknown origin. Holding the ring in the palm of his hand Zel frowned, "Lliganid," he sighed, " Lina would know what it said . . . ." Lliganid was a form of rune structure understood by few people, Zel knew for a fact that Lina was one of them. Unfortunately, Zel knew nothing of the Llingan culture, much less their language. He shrugged and pocketed the item, it was far too small for him to wear.  
  
It was then that Zel sensed a presence, a distant one, someone or something was watching him. Slowly he turned scanning the area for anything that looked out of place or different. After a few moments the feeling went away and he began walking again, his hand not straying far from his sword handle. He was beginning to realize just how rare noise was in this place, he also noticed that he hadn't heard a single bird chirp. His eyes wandered from one rock formation to the next admiring them, yet at the same time his mind never wandered from the fact that his life may be forfeited at any moment.  
  
The sky was a little darker now, Zel noted that it was beginning to smell like rain. He now came into an area where he walls of the canyon were farther apart and in the center of this 'opening' was what resembled a stone well. He eyed an interesting rock formation that was jutting out of the wall nearest to him, " It looks a little like a wolf.", he said, stopping to observe it further. He saw that it's stone frozen eyes and the shape of it's head closely resembled that of a wolf. It's jaws were wide-open ready to snap at what ever had frozen it. Zel reached out touching the wolf on the nose. His fingers tingled and he jerked his hand back, a little afraid that his hand was about to be frozen just like the wolf. He backed away from the wolf quickly, almost falling into the well, but he regained his balance. He decided to rest a while and sat down, cupping his cheek in his hand. From time to time he would glance at the wolf, it would remain still, it's eyes glaring back at him.   
  
Finally Zel stood up and walked over to the wolf and knelt down by him. The wolf looked so real. He thought back to some of the spell books he had rifled though, just looking for a cure. He had read about a petrifying spell, he just couldn't remember how to cast it. Thoughtlessly he placed his hand on the wolf's back. He was too busy to notice the bits of rock, which had begun to crumble off the wolf . . . 


	3. The Well The Serpant

Zelgadis grabbed the handle of his sword and drew it, he was in danger and the treat was close. He looked suspiciously at the stone dog, was it just him or did it look different? Not wanting to take any chances, the chimera slowly backed away, blade ready to hold off any attackers. It was then that a large serpent head jerked out of the crumbling well, its tongue slithered outward, tasting the air and searching for any possible prey. Its scaled skin was black and dark green, with the exception of its belly, which was a dark yellow color.   
  
The snake slithered out its tongue again, this man smelt different than those that it had seen before. The fear that he smelled wasn't like the fear of a normal human being, could it be that it was not the snake this man was afraid of? The serpent was very confused, yet very curious as well, what was different about this person?   
" Perhaps we shall see if he tastes any different." Thought the snake to itself.  
  
The chimera's eyes widened," How is it that you, a beast can talk?" he exclaimed, a look of confusion on his face.  
  
At this, the serpent also appeared confused, it's head cocked to the side and it hissed. "What manner of human are you?" It thought. " No matter, you will be killed soon enough. There is no need for your kind here."   
  
Zel stiffened almost as if the snake had wrapped its coils around him. How was it that he was able to hear this creature's thoughts? The snake seemed to climb into the air; it was now towering over him. Zel stood his ground; he was now studying the snake's body, looking for any possible weaknesses. The creature swayed back and forth its movement was hypnotizing. Zel's eyes grew droopy, he couldn't help it, he also couldn't move at all. He was beginning to think that he was surely finished, when there was a howl. His senses were dulled and he couldn't see or hear clearly. He couldn't tell what was happening, was he dead?   
  
He blinked a couple times, breaking the spell; his grip on the sword grew ever tighter. He could see the snake now; it was covered in blood and lying on the ground, completely out of the well now. The unmoving body of a wolf lay not far from the snake. Zelgadis studied the two creatures; neither of them looked to be in very good condition.   
Zel looked closely at the serpent, it was still, but despite appearances, it was very much alive. The snake's magic had to be extremely powerful to have paralyzed one such as Zelgadis for so long. Was this the kind of creature that the old man in Seyruun had warned him about? The serpent began to get up from where it laid, unfortunately Zel noticed the movement a little too late. The snake wound itself around the chimera, who hadn't had the time to defend himself properly. The snake proudly waved his head in the air, announcing that victory was his.   
  
The serpent brought its head closer to Zel's face, as if mocking him. Its large maw was wide open. Its poisonous fangs were dripping with venom, which fell on to Zel's shoulder burned right through his cloak. Upon the venom's contact with his skin shrieked in pain. The poison moved fast and was already beginning to effect him.   
  
His body shook as though it were extremely cold. " No, I refuse to die! Not like this!" he thought. He concentrated very hard, trying to keep from passing out. He had almost given up, when he looked at the creatures neck, there was the wound that the wolf had torn open. He knew what to do now. Focusing all of his remaining strength, Zel broke free of the serpent's hold. Then, taking his sword he thrust it into the snake's open wound. Letting go of the sword, Zel collapsed and fell off the snake to the ground. The serpent also fell; its large body tossed itself from here to there until it finally died of the pain.  
  
Zel laid back on a nearby rock, his clothing torn and covered in blood. His eyes searched wildly until they saw the wolf. It was the same wolf that had once been stone. Zelgadis could tell, it looked exactly the same, just not, well, stone. The wolf slowly sat up and was soon on all fours. It approached Zel and sat down beside him. Zel looked at the dog, it had mostly black fur with a few gray strikes to it and its yellow eyes appeared to look strait through anything that they would focus on. As it looked at him, the words," Thank you for freeing me." echoed through Zel's mind. Zel then closed his eyes and slept. 


	4. The Revival The Girl

Zelgadis grunted as he sat up, he felt terrible. His entire body ached. He looked up above, it was nighttime, or at least it appeared to be. It was really hard to tell if the events that occurred in this world worked in normal time, or one of its own design. He heaved a sigh and looked around himself.   
  
Beside him the wolf slept and across from him, by the well was a campfire. The dead serpent's body had changed in no way, an unmoving bloody shadow of what it had once been. Then a thought dawned on him. Who had built the fire? He had no recollection of doing so, had someone found him? He looked at himself. His shirt robes had been removed and his shoulder wound was now dressed. He could feel the affects of the poison were no longer about him.  
  
His pants, which had also been removed, lay with the rest of his clothes on the ground nearby. He blushed, half-embarrassed and half-angry at whoever had seen fit to remove his lower body garments. He shrugged it off, whoever had healed him saved his life and he had no right to be angry with anyone with such good intentions. But who was responsible?  
  
Moments later, after Zelgadis had finally dressed himself, he sat down closer to the fire. The wolf awoke and stretched; yawning it padded over to Zel and sat by his side. Zel was fully aware of the wolf's presents now and wasn't taken by surprise when it sat by him.   
" Did you heal me boy?" Zel asked the dog, staring into the fire.  
  
The dog shook its head when Zel looked at it and then lay down, ready to go back to sleep. " You freed me master, and for that I am grateful to you, but I am not the one who healed your wounds. If I recall correctly she left not long ago."  
  
Zel nodded, he understood that it was the wolf he was hearing, he just didn't know why he could hear it. He ruled the unknown answer off as unimportant and returned his attention to the blazing fire. " What is your name wolf?" Muttered the chimera, point a burning log with a stick.  
  
The wolf lifted its head from its front paws and looked up at Zel. " Tae Grif. Call me Tae Grif." It responded, closing its eyes. " You know; I've been waiting a long time to be freed. Unlike many things here I've been here since this accursed place was created."  
  
Zel raised an eyebrow and then glanced at the wolf with hope in his eyes. " Perhaps you could help me then. Like you, I also suffer from a curse, and I too wish to be freed."  
  
" A curse? You call yourself cursed?!" The wolf growled and then stood, making Zel go for his sword. It laid back down sorrowfully, looking a the fire before it. " I'm sorry, I had no right to do that. Of course I'll help you master, after all, I am in debt to you." The wolf looked up at Zel apologetically, as if looking for some direction.  
  
Zel quickly forgot his sword and waved the apology away. " Yes I know I sound a little weak, using words such as 'suffer'. My 'problem' really has a long story but it's not important."  
  
" As you would have it, I would not have you tell me anything that you didn't want me to know. As for finding you a cure, I will help as much as I can." The wolf got to its feet; it was no longer tired. " I will see you in the morning master, I am off to guard the northern passage, do not worry, no one will bother you this night." The wolf trotted of in the direction opposite of which Zel had come from earlier that day.   
  
Zel tossed the stick he had been holding into the fire and laid on his back, his arms now folded behind his head. It was then that he understood that he was not meant to walk this path alone. No matter how hard he tried; the Gods would always sent someone to help him over the larger obstacles. He should have never turned down his friends. Now that he had been alone again, he realized how much he didn't like it. He was glad that he had another person to travel with; even if he was a wolf. Zel didn't know if he could trust Tae Grif yet, but he hoped that he would turn out like the others that tried to help him.  
  
He had begun to think about his friends, when he heard a noise. He leapt to his feet and his sword was quickly in hand. He was about to call ask who was there when a young woman stepped out of the shadows, the fire light shining on her smiling face. She had black hair and was dressed in white clothing. She stood there looking at him with her eyes shimmering and her arms folded across her breasts. She ran to him with her arms outstretched and hugged him. He put his arms around her and held her head against his chest. He pulled her away from him and looked at her tear-streaked face. " You shouldn't have come." He sighed. 


	5. The Blue Scar

(Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Slayers, not Chrono Trigger either, but those two and maybe few more universes will be popping up)  
  
About five miles down the path from the Chimera's encampment, Vorimoth the Blue Scar stood by his fire, poking at it to keep it going. To him this place seemed to lack any sort of temperature. Wind was non-existant as well. The lack of stars in the sky, left him clueless as to where north was. He knew why he was in the Ravine of Time, what confused him was how he had come to awaken. The seven were to awaken only in a time of dire need, yet around him he saw no movement. The seven were a group of people from different places and era's that were brought to the Ravine of Time by Gaspard, Guru of Time. There purpose he was simple, there were to be the seals that guarded this realm and the one whom Gaspard had sought to imprison.   
  
Diont was a creature created by the Lords of all. A being that was intended to serve with his brother, Spekkio, the master of war. He lacked the skill and strength that his brother was blessed with. Instead he was given the ability to give and take life as he saw fit. When ever there was a fight or battle of some fashion he was the one that decided who would die for the greater good, or in some cases, the greater evil. As years passed Diont realized that with him around his brother served no perpose. He attempted to kill his brother Spekkio, but the Gods had foreseen this act of violence and put the fool to sleep.  
  
Gaspard was told to create a place were Diont would be powerless for all of eternity. He created the Ravine of Time, a place where all time stood still. Everything that was in the canyon upon the precise moment that it was frozen, would remain like that, until the day that someone able to defeat Diont entered it.  
  
" Can it be?" said Vorimoth, poking at the fire some more. " Is our wait over?" Vorimoth sighed, perhaps when this was all over, Gaspard would permit him to return home, to his tribe. He hadn't been all that willing to do this in the first place, but according to the Guru of time, his entire existance could be at stake. After Diont broke free he would find a way to return to the end of time. There he would have access to all time periods, including Vorimoth's.   
  
Vorimoth didn't have the best memory, nor had he listened very well to his instructions, but he did recall Gaspard mentioning something about a well. " Thats it!" He exclaimed, his face brightening. " The well is the rendevous point for the seven. I'm suppose to go there the day after I awaken." He seemed to remember something else, but couldn't really understand it himself. He shrugged, it didn't matter to him any more, he knew his destination, and in a few hours he'd be on his way.  
  
Behind him laying against a rock was his sword, Veimash, a katana made by the wisest of all men back in the day of Ayla, his ancestor. He sat down beside it and looked into the fire. Soon he could go home.  
  
(End Chapter 5)  
Heya everyone, sorry I haven't written in a while, writters block and all that good stuff. Hope you liked this chapter, I'm feeling inspired so I'll have another chapter done soon! 


	6. The Past of a Wolf, The Watchdog

(Disclaimer: The following chapter adds Final Fantasy 7 to the list of stuff I don't own so yeah.)  
  
Tae Grif crept silently towards the well, the Chimera and the woman were both sleeping and he didn't want to wake them. He peered down the well but drew back when a strong grotesque smell entered his nostrils. The smell made his eyes sting painfully. He had never smelt something this horrible in his entire life, yet there was something familiar about it. " Never mind that." he thought, looking back down into the well. He remembered that the well was filled with water long ago, back when he first came to be here. He had stumbled upon this place on accident of course; it was a strange place indeed. He had been hunting with his brothers, Gordo and Vics in the usual spot and they had gotten separated. Tae Grif found himself wandering along a path surrounded by high rock walls.  
  
Soon he found himself here, with the old one. Gaspard, the Guru of Time as he called himself, had assembled great warriors from several worlds and times to defend against one known as Diont. Gaspard was clearly older than he appeared, Tae could tell because his wisdom was far greater that of his great grandfather. Tae couldn't tell that there was that much of a difference though, they both looked like they had seen a lot in their day. Upon meeting the one known as the Guru of Time, Tae found him worthy of his respect. Besides, this was a man who had seen all that happened in the histories of all the worlds.   
  
The Guru told him there were six others that would guard the tomb (1) of Diont. If he were to leave the Ravine, he would soon regain his full power, and the chaos would begin once more. Tae didn't quite understand what chaos the old one spoke of, but whatever it was, he didn't want Diont to do any thing to his family back in Cosmo Canyon. Perhaps this was the kind of adventure that he would tell his cubs about, when he had them that is. He, just like his father had been, was a little too young to be out on his own.   
  
  
Zel clutched his head in his hands as he awoke, it was still dark out, and the eerie feeling poking at the back of his mind told him that it would be for a long time to come. Could it be that time was returning to this world. If so, why? He looked to his waist where the sleeping Amelia rested her head; he didn't suppose she would return home if he told her to. The girl would whine about not wanting to leave him, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if she were to die here. His battle with the serpent proved that he could hardly handle himself in this place, much less Amelia, who he had no doubt would rush at the enemy preaching about how justice will prevail and all that good stuff.  
  
He sighed and propped himself up on his right shoulder. He smiled looking down at the girl. " I guess I'll have to take her with me though . . ." he said lying back once more and closing his eyes.  
  
  
Doan (2) closed his book and stood from his desk chair, he reached high above himself and stretched, yawning. " Nothing like a bit of lite reading before patrol." he said placing the book on dug out part of the wall that he used as a shelf for his books. The old man had been sure to give him plenty of them so he wouldn't go crazy being alone all these years. Gaspard had chosen Doan to be the look out, the one that would wake the other guards if Diont were to awaken sooner than anticipated. Doan put his hands on his hips and scanned the room; the cave walls were covered in marks and scratches, each one representing a day that he had spent here.   
  
Fortunately, the Guru of Time gave Doan a watch. This watch had the power to go unaffected by the Ravine's spell. During his years spent in the Ravine, Doan had grown much stronger in knowledge as well as strength and speed. At the point of being chosen as one of the seven, Doan seemed the most unlikely warrior of them all, but now, it was just the opposite. During the past 1000 years he had not aged a day, he still had the same feathery light gray hair that went about two inches past his shoulders. He was only 5 feet tall.  
  
He wore the same clothes, though they had become a bit tattered and torn. The smell that hung about him wasn't the most appealing but what was on to do with no running water? He had risked a bath in the monster-infested waters of a lake not far away, but that was about 10 years ago. " After this is all over, I can go home. The least Gaspard owes me is a short visit. I expect he'll want me back to guard the obelisk again though. Perhaps this time I'll be able to rest though. I'm tired of being the watchdog."   
  
Doan was the only of the seven to have remained awake the whole time. The others were sealed away as statues. There was one more of the seven though that wouldn't know his role until all were gathered. At this moment he was seeing the Ravine for the first time. Doan sighed,   
" I feel sorry for the seventh. He doesn't yet know ... he won't be too happy when he finds out he has a part to play. He may not have been asleep, but he's certainly in the dark." Gaspard had told him the man's name. Regretfully it was the only to escape his mind. " What was it again?" he pondered aloud," Zangalus? No that's not it, Zelda? No, not it either that's a woman's name ..., Gladius?" he shrugged, giving up.   
  
Doan stepped out of the cave and into the night, according to the watch it was nearly three in the morning. Doan nodded and folded his arms across his chest, the five sealed in stone would soon awaken. According to his calculations, Tae Grif, Vorimoth, and perhaps the magus were awake now. Time was slowly moving again, and that meant the seal on Diont was beginning to weaken. " Better get going." he sighed, ducking backing to his cave and grabbing his stone sword. He looked at his watch again, " Just five more hours ..."   
  
(1) Tae Grif refers to the place were Diont is seal as a tomb simply because his people do not believe that it is possible to be sealed between life and death, one is either dead or alive, and the unmoving, unbreathing body of Diont convinced him that there is no possible way that that he was still alive.  
  
(2) Doan is indeed from Chrono Trigger but not the one you would think, he is not old man living in the ruined future but his ancestor, a young scholar from the 15th century, native to the Guardia kingdom.  
  
( Wow, I think I'm going to stick with this Fic. I should finish the next chapter soon so keep reading! ) 


	7. The Most Powerful Time Travelling Sorcer...

The sun was now rising and Janus stood, waiting for his full strength to return to him. He knew the fate of worlds was at risk, but since when had he cared for the benefit of others? He had more important things to do. That old fool Gaspard interrupted him in the middle of his search to find Schala to drag him out to this dry crevice in the earth known only as the Ravine of Time. Then the geezer had the guts to turn him to stone, of all the nerve! Well, it was too late to say no now; he might as well get it over with and help out. The sooner this was done with, the sooner he could continue looking for Schala.   
  
Janus did respect the old fart once, but those days were over. To him, Gaspard was just a helpless puppet, used to do whatever the Gods wanted. Spekkio on the other hand was a guy he admired; he was physically strong, as well as a powerful magic user, with the ability to take the form that best suits him. Usually, the small kawalla bear had no trouble fooling its enemies into thinking that it was nothing but helpless. But Janus saw him for the master of war.   
  
Janus smiled and began to fool around with his scythe, jabbing and cutting at an imaginary foe before him, his typical exercise. After a few moments of this he stopped and sat on a rock right by a pool of water. He wiped the sweat of his forehead and looked at his reflection. It was as he suspected he hadn't age at all. His hair was the same; the pale skin of his face was unchanged. No wrinkles decorated the area around his eyes.   
  
He smiled at himself, his fangs were sharp as ever, a feature that along with his widow's peak made him look a tad vampiric. He admired himself for a moment. " Not only are you the most powerful evil time traveling sorcerer in the world . . . " he said grinning, " . . . but the handsomest as well." He closed his eyes and snickered to himself.   
  
" Don't get so full of yourself Magus, stop playing around we have work to do!" Came a voice from behind him. Janus's eye's opened and he raised one of his eyebrows as he lifted his head. He stood and turned in one motion.   
  
" Ah its you." He replied, his grin was now a frown, he looked over the woman before him, her head, torso, and arms were that of a human, but from the waist down she was snake.   
  
" Well that was a refreshing nap, I could have used a few more years time." Deis remarked, " You just awoke did you not?"  
  
Janus nodded, " Not but fifteen minutes ago" he said looking away then bending down to pick up his scythe.   
  
Deis leaned on her staff a bit, " I woke about hour ago, have you seen Clyde yet? Gaspard said he'd be closer to our side of the ravine. He was the last to be frozen so I don't know where he was sealed exactly."  
  
" He hasn't come through this way, but we don't have time to wait around, it won't be too long till we're supposed to meet the others." Janus answered, starting down the path as he twirled his scythe.   
  
Deis glanced back at the way that she had come from, then reluctantly followed the wizard.  
  
  
Clyde shook his head. His skin was returning too normal. He was no longer made of gray stone but flesh. His surroundings were the same, he was too. How long had it been? He hadn't really found out the details of his job. Mostly because he hadn't cared. He moved around a bit. He was a little sore from being like that for so long. He looked around himself at the rock walls until he saw the path that led deeper into the Ravine. He pulled down the piece of cloth that covered his face. He looked up at the sky, time had begun to move again. Realizing this he ran down the path to join the others. 


	8. The Guru of Time, The Foul Odor, The Sev...

Amelia sat by the well; Tae Grif sat beside her. The wolf creature had seemed very interested in the well ever since before she had woken up. Amelia looked over at Zel, who was sleeping again. The sun had come up moments ago, so she would wake him up soon. She heard the sound of footsteps and shifted her gaze to the path that had led her here the night before. Approaching her was a tall elderly man wearing a black suit and a bowler hat. He walked with a limp and in his right hand he held a cane to help him maneuver. He stopped and was standing right beside her looking over at Zel. " Poor boy, my poor boy." he said sadly shaking his head  
  
" Excuse me sir, but who are you?" Amelia asked, politely smiling at him. The man was now standing with his legs together and both hands on his cane.   
  
He smiled looked down at her, " I am Gaspard," he said holding out his old wrinkled hand. She took it and nodded to him. " You wouldn't be with that young man over there would you miss?" he asked, a frown appearing on his face.   
  
Amelia nodded, " Yes I am, Zelgadis-sama got himself wounded by a creature of evil." she sniffed," He's strong but I wish he wouldn't always go out on his own all the time." She looked down at her feet.  
  
" I'm sorry young lady, but this is not a good place for you to be." He glanced to Tae and then to Zel," Very soon now, this place will become dangerous, I would hate for something to happen to someone as pretty as you."   
  
  
Janus and Deis found themselves at the dwelling of Doan, who had been preparing to leave just when they arrived. " Magus! Deis! It is good to see you again! I trust you are both well?" Magus nodded and continued down the path without saying a word. Doan raised an eyebrow and looked to Deis, " Was it something I said?" he asked.  
  
"Don't worry about him Doan, you know very well that that's the way he always is. Remember, he didn't even wake up in a bed this morning, we may never know if he got up on the right side or not." She joked, smiling at Doan. " It's very good to see you well Doan, I almost didn't recognize you."  
  
Doan shrugged looking after Janus, who was now almost out of sight. "I just wish that Magus would cheer up. He's had a hard time you know." he peered up at the snake woman and smiled again, " We should catch up with him, he's not as familiar with this place as he thinks he is. A lot of new creatures have appeared since you were all here last."  
  
  
Clyde stopped when he reached the area in which Janus had been sealed, was it just him, or did it feel different here. He was about to continue, when a crack in the rock wall caught his eye, " This wasn't here last time, I'm sure of it." he said approaching the part in the rock wall where the crack began. It was a diagonal mark, starting at the bottom left and going to the upper right. Clyde almost fell off of his feet when he caught wind the most terrible odor he had ever smelled. He drew out his knife 'Striker' and held it religiously. Whatever left that horrible smell wasn't far off, what if it had gotten one of the others? What if it was one of the others!?  
  
  
Verimoth walked slowly, whistling to himself. He was surprised that he hadn't come across any of the others yet. He kicked at the dirt, making a small dust cloud at his feet. He shouldn't be too far from the meeting place, aside from Tae he was the one sealed closest to it, the others had a much longer walk than he. He was beginning to miss home a lot, in his dreams he was always with his tribe, his family. He missed the land, the hunting. There was one person that he hadn't properly said good bye to. She was back there, he hoped that she waited for him. He had never really told Sylvia how he felt about her. Verimoth was so busy thinking that he didn't notice Janus stride right past him.  
  
Nearly two hours later everyone was there, all but one that is. Clyde, who was sealed all the way at the other end of the ravine, was missing. Zelgadis who was now awake was looking confused, while he had slept a bunch of weird people had surrounded him. The oldest of them all, a tall man dressed in black pointed towards Zel and gestured for him to come near. " You Zelgadis Greywerds, will be the last of the seven." At first Zel thought the man was a joke, but memories that were not his own began to flood through his mind. He saw two Gods of war one with good intentions the other not so good. He saw himself with seven others, some of which now stood before him. He saw the ring that he had picked up upon entering the ravine. The ring! What was its significance?  
  
When the memories stopped Zelgadis opened his eyes and bowed to Gaspard, " I will help to stop Diont, show me what I must do, but first let me ask you something." he reached into his pocket and caught hold of the ring. " Where is Clyde?" 


	9. The Four Worlds at Risk, The Answer, Goo...

" Do not worry about Clyde, he will arrive soon enough." Gaspard said looking towards a very confused Amelia. " You should be worried for your friend; she is no longer safe here." he turned and looked down into the well. "She's done her part, you must convince her to leave."  
  
Zelgadis nodded. Soon this place would become a war zone and Zel didn't want for the last thing he cared for slip away from him. " I will speak with her." was all he said. He turned with a smile on his face as he saw Amelia. Before he could approach her the cold bony fingers of Gaspard's hand wrapped around Zel's wrist. Zel looked back at him.  
  
"You are very noble Mr. Greywerds, but I must make sure that you are fully aware of what you are doing." Zelgadis' eyes rolled back into his head and he stood swaying. All of a sudden, Zel found himself in darkness, visions flashed through his mind, more memories that were not his. He saw a world with no magic, powerful machines that would no longer run, and he saw a castle in the desert submerging and returning to the surface across the sea. There were large yellow birds, ruined buildings, and cities. Then he blinked and he was seeing another world.  
  
This world had large ships that flew in the air from place to place. There were large craters where something hit the planet, he saw a green river of life. The name occurred to him, it was the lifestream! If he recalled correctly his planet had one too. He saw people in blue uniforms, and large signs that read 'ShinRa'.   
  
The next world he saw, had the bones of many dragons lost in mines. There were people there that resembled animals. He saw a great coliseum where people fought yearly in a contest know as the Contest of Champions. He saw a fallen goddess, a goddess that treated her creations like children. This world had technology that was long forgotten.  
  
The last world that he saw was a small one, very few people lived here, there was a race of monsters called the mystics. The mystics and the humans disputed often. He saw a kingdom known as Guardia, and a bell, Nadia's Bell!  
  
Zel shook his head, Gaspard was still standing before him, clutching his arm, " It is your choice Mr. Greywerds. Do you realize what those worlds are? Those worlds are the ones at risk from Diont. We have waited these many years for someone to come that can not be affected by his magic, but only recently has the pathway to this place opened in your dimension. Diont's magic is not extended to your plane, with this knowledge you may have a chance to contain him for good! Because of you these world will come to no harm."  
  
Zelgadis sighed and looked to Amelia, this was not what he had come here to do. What if the old on was wrong? What if he could do nothing to this master of war? He looked back at Gaspard and wrenched his had out of the old mans grasp. " I swear that as long as I live the master of war shall be sealed." he said looking at the strange people that stood behind Gaspard.   
  
He now stood in front of Amelia, who's head lifted at the sound of his footsteps in the sand. Zelgadis' smile seemed like a guilty one, He took her hands in his and slipped the ring on her finger. She looked into his eyes and smiled back at him happily, but she frowned when she saw the look on his face. "Let me stay and help too Zelgadis-sama, I don't want you to be here alone. I can help you."  
  
"No Amelia, I want you to go back to Seyruun and wait there, I won't be long." he answered releasing her hands. She shook her head and threw her arms around his neck.  
  
"No, I won't leave you! If I leave now you won't come back!" she cried. Zelgadis placed his hands on her shoulders and pressed his lips to her forehead. He stepped back out of her arms and turned away crossing his arms over his chest. "Zelgadis-sama, I can't leave you ...." she said beginning to approach him, but she stopped, she didn't move. She no longer could, her skin was now made of stone.  
  
Zel turned slowly to see the frozen Amelia, he was angry now, who had done this to her? He whirled around and glared at the six people behind him. His eyes stopped on Janus, who oddly enough was smiling. " You!" he growled, pointing at him accusingly, "Magus."  
  
"At your service." replied Janus, bowing. 


	10. Not happy, Funny Time to Fall Asleep, Vo...

"Now that that problem is out of the way maybe we can get started." Janus said, tossing his scythe from one hand to the other. The smile he wore was rather unnatural for him, considering the grim mood that hung about him most of the time.   
  
Deis slithered next to him and hit him on the head with the blue orb at the end of her scepter, "Stop fooling around! Why must you always make matters worse?" she yelled in his face, pointing behind her at the statue. "You may think its funny, but this isn't what I'd call a joke!"  
  
"Silence woman, you talk too much, its not meant as a joke. Their little conversation was lasting a little too long, it was obvious that it wasn't about to end any time soon. I just simply ended it for them." he said, smiling innocently as he massaged the bump on his head. "I'd think that you of all people would be thanking me Deis." he remarked calmly, looking in the direction of the unmoving Amelia.  
  
Deis hit him again, this was annoying her, Magus may have been one of the most powerful sorcerors, but he could sometimes act like a complete nuisance. Personally, Deis didn't fear him at all, on her world she was one of the beings considered to be almost as powerful as a god. So she had no problem with threatening him.   
  
Janus was rubbing his head again, this was beginning to hurt. He had turned the girl into stone to be applauded, not to have the living daylights beaten out of him. These people didn't realize a genius at work when the saw one. They never appreciated his actions, they were always interprated as 'mean' or 'evil'. Sure he had been the leader of the mystics and had turned people into seemingly weak creatures, but that was beside the point! He knew that deep down everyone of them had been waiting for something like this to happen. All of them were tired of this place and all of them wanted to get back to their lives.  
  
Vorimoth pulled his sword out of his belt and held it in his right hand. He agreed with Deis, the magus had gone too far this time. He didn't care if he was joking or not, this wasn't the right way to solve things. He looked over a Zelgadis, who was now staring at Janus with fire and blood dancing in his eyes. Something was wrong, Gaspard never said anything about the seventh being like this. Then something occurred to him and he turned his attention to Tae Grif. " What did you say bit him wolf?" he asked aloud.  
  
The wolf creature looked up at the Blue Scar and his thoughts echoed through the warriors mind," A large serpent, it came out of the well and dropped some of it's venom on him." The wolf looked back at Deis who was still yelling at Janus.  
  
Vorimoth scratched his chin then sat down in the dirt Indian-style. He remembered there being big snakes on his world, but he couldn't recall the effects of their venom.   
  
"Turn her back to normal you monster!" Zelgadis growled, still staring at Janus. Now he had his sword in his hand and seemed as though he would lunge at the magus at any minute.   
  
Doan reached into a pouch with several documents inside, and brought out a book on spells. He immediately began to riffle through it then stopped on the page he'd been searching for. "The only way than she can return to normal is if you knew the counter spell, but knowledge of that kind of magic has all but been forgotten."  
  
"Are you sure there's no other way?" he demanded.  
  
"Well, there is one alternative," Doan gulped looking to Gaspard, who wasn't paying attention in the lease, the only sign of life the old man gave, was the snot bubble that eased in and out of his nose as he snored. After blinking a few times Doan returned his gaze to Zel and nodded,"if the person that cast the spell were to perish, she should return to normal." He looked to Magus and shrugged.  
  
A smile appeared on Zel's face as he looked to Janus,"That's fine with me." he muttered. Everyone stopped talking at once, and all eyes turned to Zel. Janus, who had been ignoring Deis for nearly five minutes, folded his arms across his chest and looked up at the sky.  
  
"So, you think you can take me boy? Gaspard tells us that you are very skilled in combat. Let's see if his bragging holds true." he said snickering to himself, it had been a long time since he'd had a challenge like this one.   
  
When Zelgadis began his charge, the battle was started. He swung his sword cutting through the magus' cloak. Now Janus' smile disappeared, he didn't like to have his cloak torn, but it didn't really matter to him, this battle wouldn't last long anyways. He let go of his scythe, which remained floating in the air. He muttered a few words and the weapon came to life, slashing at the chimera without mercy. This strange attack took Zel of guard and the scythe cut his cheek, blood began to drip from the wound.  
  
While Zel was busy dealing with the living scythe, Janus began to cast his Dark Matter spell. He had almost completed it when he was interrupted by Tae Grif tackling him. Janus got up to realized that his living scythe spell had been disrupted as well. "This certainly puts an odd twist on things." he commented. He uttered a few words in the Mystic language and sent the wolf-like creature flying against the rock wall. During the confusion, everyone had forgotten about Zel, who was now breathing heavily and glaring a Janus.  
  
"I remember now!" exclaimed Vorimoth, who was now on his feet and smiling. "The serpent that attacked Zelgadis must be from my world. Their poison brings out all of someones built up anger and transforms them into an unstoppable killer!" Deis was staring at him confused.  
  
"If that's so, why do you seem so happy about it?" she sighed.   
  
"Well, it's simple, all we have to do is not make him angry!" he chirped, "The venom doesn't take that effect until we do something to make him mad!" Everyone, with exception of the crazed Zelgadis and the sleeping elderly chap, glared at Vorimoth as if he was the most idiotic being in existence.   
  
Tae Grif, who was now limping over to Vorimoth's side looked up at him. "Vorimoth, it's a little too late, I think we could have used this information sooner." 


	11. Farewell to the Third

Clyde sat on a rock, looking at an obelisk he had stumbled across. This hadn't been here before. He only remembered Gaspard mentioning one obelisk. If he was right, where did this one come from? " Where the hell am I anyways? Probably lost." he thought to himself. He didn't really care though, the only reason he said he would help was because he had nothing else to do. He still wondered about the obelisk though, was this the one they sealed Diont in? No, it couldn't have been, that one was buried in the caverns underneath the ravine.  
  
He stood up and walked over to the obelisk until he was about a foot away from it. The obelisk was about 7 feet tall and three feet from corner to corner, it's width decreasing as it reached the top. He squinted, attempting to see if there was anything inside it. This was very similar to the one Diont was in, it was made of a crystalline substance. Clyde stopped breathing, the contents of the obelisk took him by surprise, inside was a creature unlike any he had ever seen before. He stepped back his eyes still fixed on the creature. " C... could it be? A young dragon, alive? Here?" he choked, shaking his head in denial. " What sort of joke is this?" he demanded, pulling down the piece of cloth that covered his face.  
  
It wasn't so much the creature that frightened him, but the idea that he and the seven weren't alone here was news to him. Yet another thing Gaspard had failed to mention to him. His eyes widened, he seemed to feel like something was missing. He looked to his waist expecting to see his trusty knife and began to curse when he saw none. " Damn it all!" he yelled balling his hands into fists. He thought back to where he could have left it, but he could think of no place in particular. The one place he knew it wasn't was at the well. " I don't care how dire the need is! I'm not even going to think about helping them until I've found Striker!" he yelled, his voice echoing throughout the ravine. He had gone through far too much trouble to get it to loose it now.  
  
He looked to the Obelisk through the corners of his eyes, he seemed to feel drawn to it. He almost felt that if he were to touch the Obelisk he would find Striker in his hands instead. He turned and stood where he had been before, and looked at the dragon. This one was far smaller than the ones he and the others had fought on his world. Had Gaspard trapped this here too? He reached out to it and touched the Obelisk, what harm was in it if all he did was touch?  
  
  
Doan, Deis, and Tae Grif stood together combating the out of control chimera. Magus was behind them, drained of all his strength and far to weak to cast any more spells. Vorimoth, only about five minutes into the fight, had taken a blow to the head and was out cold by the well. Doan, was bleeding all over and standing in front of the other to guarding them as they prepared attacks of their own, he too was about to fall. He was almost blind because of the blood that covered his eyes. Taking his stone sword he lunged in the direction that he thought Zel was in. Zelgadis dodged the feeble attack and backhanded Doan. When his opponent hit the ground, Zel took his sword and stabbed him in the back with no intention of letting him live. With what remained of his sight, Doan looked at the old man. " Still sleeping." he said, managing a weak laugh then coughing up blood.  
  
Tae Grif finished his spell just in time to send the preoccupied Zelgadis flying against the rock wall with a high level Fireball spell. His stone body fell, unmoving on the ground by the statue of Amelia. Tae Grif ran to Doan's side and sat down looking at him. " Hang on Doan, just don't move!" he said, looking into the blood covered face of the fallen Scholar.  
  
" Don't bother Tae, no magic you, Magus, or even Deis knows could heal me now. Just make sure the seventh is all right, he's the only one we need to worry about." he said smiling, up and the wolf.  
  
Deis who had been nearby, simply nodded and moved over where Magus was to help him up. Tae Grif glared after her then looked back at Doan, he wasn't about to take his advice on this one. " Don't give up so easily, we can find a way, I won't let you go like this!" he roared.  
  
He just smiled at Tae, then laid his head down, " I . . . I guess this means . . . I won't be g . . . going home." he coughed weakly, the blood beginning to dry on his face. " Don't worry Tae . . . this is the way I want it . . . I'm glad to have met you, now go check on Zel, the poisons probably worn off." Doan's blind eyes then closed and he spoke no more. Tae stepped back from his lost friend and sat looking at him. He and Doan were the only ones to not hear the painful inhuman cries of some poor far away creature.  
  
  
Clyde stood, hunched over in pain. His hand was still on the Obelisk but he was no longer looking at the dragon inside, but his reflection. He yowled as large bone spikes grew from his vertebrae and pushed their way out of the skin on his back. His tailbone changed as well, growing extra bones that stretched out his skin, until it ripped through and gave him a tail made of bones connected with bits of muscle and rotten flesh. His canines grew longer until they were nearly an inch long, his eyes turned white and the bone frames of what looked like wings pushed out of his back.  
  
He finally managed to wrench his clawed hand from the obelisk. He attempted to move but was far too weak, the loss of blood was too great, and he would have to rest before he could go find Striker. 


	12. Red Dreams

Zelgadis moaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Why did he feel so sore? The last thing he remembered was talking to Amelia. He jerked back a bit when he noticed that a serpent was right beside him. He sighed with relief, realizing that it was only Deis. He pushed himself against the rock wall behind him. "You're really scary you know that? By the way, what happened?" he asked stretching his legs out in front of himself and looking at his shoes.  
  
She frowned at him, placing her hands on her hips, she didn't know whether that was meant as an insult or not. She decided to ignore the comment since he was having such bad luck lately, and spare him a bump on the head. In her opinion Zel and Magus weren't all that different. Deis hadn't known the Chimera for very long, but she had already gathered that he was impatient, short-tempered, and too powerful for his own good. "Hmmmm . . . what happened ehh, guess you wouldn't remember. To sum it all up, your girl friend wouldn't leave, Magus turned her to stone and started acting like a pain in the ass. Then to top it all of you went berserk and killed Doan. That clear it up for yah?"  
  
Zelgadis sighed and frowned, everything was pouring into his mind now. He didn't know what to say so he just didn't speak.   
  
"Do you know where you are Zelgadis?" she asked calmly, now clutching her scepter close to her breast.  
  
Zel raised an eyebrow, then proceeded to look around himself. He saw the stone well, the two paths that led through the ravine, one back to Seyruun, the other leading deeper into the labyrinth of rock. If he was thinking correctly he'd say that he was still at the meeting place of the seven. But, it was different in a few ways. First of all everything seem to have a red tint to it, with exception of the sky, which was as black as pitch. If it had been possible, he'd say it was even darker than that. He recalled reading about this place in Rezo's library, but he hadn't imagined anything quite like this. " This is someone's dream?" he guessed aloud, looking to Deis. She nodded.  
  
"You are correct. To be exact we are in Diont's dream." she said offering him her hand. "You and I are the only ones able to travel here, the others are still at the meeting place guarding our physical bodies." He took her had and stood. As he began to dust himself off she continued,"Since you were already unconscious it was much easier to bring you here."   
  
Zelgadis stretched his arms high above his head, yawning,"Where is Gaspard, is he with the others?" he said, looking at the snake woman.  
  
Deis looked up ward and put a finger to her lip,"He is, yet he isn't. He would have liked to come with us but he's a little busy now." she said looking back down at Zel, who was now giving her an extremely confused look. "Okay, I'll explain. Gaspard's way of communicating with the Gods is through slumber. This way he can receive any instructions needed, whether they be a insignificant as washing the dishes or as dramatic as saving the world from a destructive force. So you see, where as his body is with the others, he really isn't there at all." she lectured.  
  
"Ah, I think I get it now, but there's one thing I don't understand, if Gaspard is a servant of the Gods, then why doesn't he just do all of this himself? Why does he need me?" he questioned.   
  
"Hmmm, Gaspard already told you why the other five and I cannot harm Diont, so I guess I should explain why he too is powerless." she said, now resting on a rock,"Gaspard was once a very powerful Magi, referred to as the Guru of Time. His ideas and theories were beyond anyone's comprehension, in fact, he knew how space and time worked before he came to serve the Gods. His knowledge and wisdom were what made the Gods choose him as the Guardian of the end of time. In order for him to take on such a task they had to change him in two ways. First they gave him the ability to talk to them, something that no mortal had done before. Second they rendered his physical being useless, he was unable to do harm to anyone and no one can do any harm to him." she stated.  
  
"So you're saying that his purpose is to communicate the Gods orders to the mortals?" he said stroking his chin.  
  
"Exactly, Gaspard is nothing but a messenger." she replied simply.   
  
He nodded and looked to the well,"What are we here to do?"  
  
She smiled at him and stood,"We're going to find out the enemy's battle plan." she said.  
  
  
Tae Grif pace back and forth between the wall and the well in the center, he tried to avoid looking at the body of his dead friend. It was laid down peacefully in the sand at Gaspard's feet. Deis and Vorimoth had cleaned him up as much as possible but didn't feel that it would be right to bury him here. "He wouldn't be at home here." Tae had said. Janus on the edge by the well watching Vorimoth sharpen his blade at the path entrance nearest to him. Occasionally Janus would cast glance at Tae, which was met with an unforgiving growl followed by Janus' turning away.  
  
Janus knew now that his solution hadn't been the best, of course, he would never admit this aloud. He really didn't feel all that sorry, after all, that fool Doan should have seen that he was no match for the Chimera. He watched Tae now, how was sitting by the sleeping bodies of Deis and Zel. The wolf looked so sad. " Magus, Deis, it is good to see you again . . . I trust you are both well . . ." Janus muttered to himself, " Had he really cared?" he sighed shaking his head. "It was good to see you again Doan." He shook the feeling off, what was he thinking? This was no time to go soft.   
  
Vorimoth, still sharpening his sword, glared at Janus. He knew the wizard couldn't be trusted. His ancestor Ayla had passed down stories of this man. He did things only for his own benefit. If the choice was his this man would die now! 


End file.
